Venier reimagines the Guzzi Nuovo Falcone for 2020

Moto Guzzi has a rich legacy of building motorcycles for Italy’s civil servants. The V7 of 1967 was originally designed as a police bike, and its longitudinally mounted V-twin motor went on to become a hallmark of the company. A couple of years later, the lesser-known Nuovo Falcone pottered onto the scene.

The Nuovo Falcone was a smaller alternative to the V7 built for the Italian army, and a couple of years later was sold to civilians too. It was powered by a 500 cc single pushing out around 30 hp, making it just about the most utilitarian Moto Guzzi you can find today.

So why customize one? “Well, take a look at the engine,” says Venier Customs founder, Stefano Venier. “How can you not pick the Falcone?”

Stefano and his crew at Venier Customs’ Italian workshop decided to build a modern take on the Nuovo Falcone 500. “Our design is what the Falcone could look like if it was re-designed by Moto Guzzi today,” he explains. “It’s not trying to be a ‘special’ or ‘custom build’—it’s our vision of the 2020 Moto Guzzi Falcone.”

According to Stefano, Nuovo Falcone Militare models are easy to find, and often with low mileage. He managed to source a late 1960s example in top shape, and with a measly 700 km (434 miles) on the clock.

Despite its visual condition, the donor was still a half-century old bike. So the Venier crew refreshed the motor with new seals and gaskets, and built a new wiring harness. The shop’s in-house mechanic even added an electric start to make day-to-day riding a bit easier.

A lot of the Nuovo Falcone’s original parts were still good enough to use—so Stefano envisioned a unique blend of custom and vintage.

The frame was trimmed of all unneeded brackets, and the subframe shortened. Venier Customs kept the front forks, wheels and classic drum brakes—but installed a new set of rear shocks.

All of the bodywork on this Nuovo Falcone is custom. The Venier crew shaped up a new aluminum fuel tank, seat pan, side panels and fenders, all in the shop’s sleek signature style. The seat’s covered in faux leather (because it holds up in rain better than real leather), and there’s a slim LED taillight tucked between it and the rear fender.

The Moto Guzzi’s foot and hand controls are all originals—right down to the decompression and choke levers on the bars, and the OEM switchgear. (“How awesome would it be if a ‘new Falcone’ had some new but vintage-looking parts on it?” wonders Stefano.)

But the rest of the cockpit is mostly custom. The bars are off a dirt bike, and are capped off with Biltwell Inc. grips.

The headlight bucket is a custom piece with LED internals, and the turn signals are modern LED items. Just above it is a hand-built aluminum dashboard, equipped with a modern GPS-enabled speedo, the key ignition and warning lights.

In typical Venier fashion, the Guzzi’s been repainted in a tidy monochrome livery with just a hint of gold. Everything’s been refinished in black or grey, giving the newly dubbed ‘VX Falcone’ an extremely cohesive feel.

The last few bits include a custom exhaust header with a blacked-out muffler from Mass Moto, and a set of Metzeler Perfect ME 77 tires. (They’re modern touring tires with classic treads, designed for smaller capacity motorcycles.)

The Venier VX Falcone might not be the quickest Moto Guzzi custom around, but it sure is handsome. And it should have just enough poke for some Sunday morning cafe-hopping.

If the Mandello factory did eventually build a remake as good as this, we’d be tempted.